As a twenty-something, the pressure to develop your own identity, to stand out of the crowd, seems to keep growing.

The entire concept behind Facebook hinges on how you want to be perceived by others. You choose your profile picture, update your status, control what you post, even get to untag yourself if you don’t like a picture you’re in. It’s almost like editing your life!

I guess I thought once I became an adult, living on my own, joining the workforce, that whole struggle of trying to “fit in” would go away. Sure, it’s not the same as High School, the different groups like the jocks, cool kids, nerds, artsy students, but it’s taken a whole new turn. You’re not trying to fit into a group anymore, but you need to make yourself unique. It’s almost like developing your own personalized brand for yourself, and social media is your marketing platform.

Our current series on the book of Ephesians has been a timely reminder to me about where my identity comes from. Simply reading through chapter one deconstructs any misguided thoughts regarding my identity.

“What you believe alters how you live.”

According to chapter one, I am…. chosen, predestined, redeemed, forgiven, adopted. Powerful words. And yet, there are those times I find myself living like I don’t believe those things. How is it that I forget so quickly who I am in Christ? 

At our Anderson campus this past Sunday, our campus pastor, Mark Moody, delivered the message. One thing he said that stuck out to me was, “What you believe alters how you live.”

It seems like such a simple concept, but when I begin to really look at those moments when I’m not living out of my identity in Christ, I realize I’m believing lies fed to me by the world. Then things get a little more complicated, because sin begins with believing a lie. Belief determines direction.

If I believe I am chosen, predestined, redeemed, forgiven, adopted, of course I’m going to feel valuable! Of course I’m going to feel dearly loved by my heavenly Father. But this world can be distracting, and lies can sneak into your thoughts sometimes without even realizing it. That is why we have to guard our hearts and minds. We have to abide in the Word of God and spend time with Him daily to protect our thoughts and ultimately, our beliefs.

What lies do you believe about yourself? Do you feel pressure from society to find your value in things of the world? Belief determines direction, so what direction do you find yourself heading in? What does this indicate you believe? 

– Catie Chance, Anderson